


Shadowy Lights

by Misogi



Category: Destiny (Video Game), Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny 2 Spoilers, F/M, Fickle muse is fickle, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Most of the time, Not cookie-cutter storyline, Oh yeah; one side character doesn't seem to get the memo that you can only be one class, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sporadic Updates, Surprise I'm back (sorta), They show up, eikuu's wonderful Warlock and his Ghost, some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:23:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 11,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2730626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misogi/pseuds/Misogi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my Destiny Hunter. I really wanted to write about her, and I have a bad history of shipping humans with machines.<br/>There will (probably) be smut scenes, but I'll make the chapters with them with NSFW. If you want to avoid them.</p><p>Muse has a habit of being fickle. So don't get your hopes up of semi-regular updates. Sorry.<br/>Eikuuhyo (http://archiveofourown.org/users/eikuuhyo/) inspired me to write about her. And you'll see her Warlock show up.  He has a habit of that in the daydreams that I write off of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Light isn't always pretty

**Author's Note:**

> Destiny Character details:  
> http://www.bungie.net/en/Legend/1/4611686018438678047/2305843009241676778  
> Name: Alisha (Al/Alli)  
> Race: Human  
> Class: Hunter (Bladedancer)  
> Eye color: Light brown  
> Hair color: Copper brown  
> Main weapon: Handgun  
> Secondary: Sniper Rifle  
> Heavy Weapon: Rocket Launcher  
> Personality: Curious, sarcastic, but very patient. Tends to snipe enemies from the farthest and safest place. Naturally suspicious of anyone claiming to know history, (Aka: The Speaker and the Traveler.)  
> Ghost: Tries to guide his Guardian to safety, though she tends to want to explore. Despite wanting to believe in the Traveler and the Speaker, he's more loyal to Alisha, and will do what's needed to keep her safe.

 

When Alisha woke up for the first time in years, it took her a few seconds to realize a small, hovering ball-shaped machine was yelling at her. While she stared at it, she focused on deciphering the noises it was making.

“Guardian…Guardian? Can you hear me, Guardian?” Alisha sluggishly raised her head, fixing her slightly unsteady gaze on the machine.

“Oh thank the Traveler, it worked,” The machine sighed, and she got the feeling it was relieved. “You have no idea-…never mind. I’m a Ghost. Well, now I’m your Ghost. You’ve been…missing for a long time.” Alisha faintly heard a roar, and the machine…her Ghost’s sky blue optic shrink in fear.

“Now’s not a good time to talk, hold on.” Al watched in surprise as her Ghost seemed to disintegrate into nothing in front of her eyes. Rubbing her eyes, she realized she was getting the beginnings of a headache from the brightness of the sun. _Has it always been this bright out?_

[Hey, can you hear me?] Al jumped a bit, groaning as the sudden voice in her mind made her head pound more. [I’m still with you. We need to move to a safer location. We’re really far away from the ideal place to stay.]

When she didn’t move other than to clutch her head and cover her eyes, she heard her Ghost materialize. They stood in silence for a few seconds before the Ghost spoke, voice low and quiet, “…Are you okay, Guardian?” Alisha shook her head in a tiny, jerky movement. Silence prevailed for a while after that and Alisha was about to take a chance to look up to see if her Ghost was still there when she suddenly felt a cool cloth drape over her head and shoulders.

“Sorry it took me so long, Guardian. I didn’t realize…I’m sorry. We should go find some shade,” Her Ghost’s voice seemed to be coming from right in front of her, so she hazarded a glance at him. His shell was a dark, almost black color with white streaks. Pulling her hood further over her eyes, she smiled weakly at him. Her Ghost's optic flicked from her face to the surrounding city area, trying to spot shaded spots, “Uh…follow me.”


	2. Questions, Questions...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alisha starts getting her priorities straight.

* * *

After the pair found some shade under a tree, Alisha fell asleep, much to her Ghost's dismay. She hadn't been awake for  _an hour_ and she was already asleep! Huffing indignantly, he floated around the surrounding area, to make sure it was safe. When it checked out, he dissipated his shell to wait for his Guardian to awake.

Several hours later when the sun was starting to set, and her Ghost was starting to get antsy about having to find shelter in the darkness with his newly revived Guardian, Alisha slowly woke up. Rubbing her eye, she watched quietly as her Ghost materialized. "Oh, thank the Traveler, you're awake. We really need to get moving." At her questioning look, his optic shrunk in fear, "Please, Guardian. Please just trust me on this. There are _things_ out here and you're not equipped for fighting them." He noticed the light was darker than it had been a few minutes ago, and he starting glancing around at the shadows around them in paranoia. He was surprised to be pulled  into his Guardian's arms, and he looked up at her in curiosity.

"Calm down. We'll be fine. Can you lead us to a safe-house or outpost?" She spoke calmly, her light brown eyes soft with kindness, and her Ghost suddenly felt a flash of something fierce in his circuits. It surprised him, but he ignored it in favor of doing as she asked, "There's an abandoned outpost nearby. Follow me."

* * *

Settling into the Outpost, Alisha gathered the supplies that she'd need for the travel to find a ship. Since it was dark out, the pair stayed at the outpost. Alisha took this moment of peace when she _is_ _n't_ sleeping to start getting answers from her Ghost.

"So...you keep calling me 'Guardian.' Why?" Her Ghost turned to where she was sitting on the floor when she spoke, blinking his optic.

"You're a Guardian. I'm a Ghost, a tool made by the Traveler to find people who can use my light to fight the Darkness. Those people are called Guardians."

Alisha nodded a tiny bit, then looked back at him, gesturing for him to come closer to her. Curious on what she needed, he complied. Once he was close enough, she grabbed his shell and pulled him down to her lap, laughing quietly at his disgruntled yell. "What's your name?"

"My name? I don't have a name, Guardian."

"Oh? Then I'll give you one. It's awkward to keep calling you 'Ghost.'"

Her Ghost sighed, "If you insist, Guardian."

"That's not my name, you know."

"...What is it then?"

"My name is...Alisha," She murmured, a gentle smile gracing her face as she looked at nothing. Her Ghost stared at her, optic widening and brightening.

"Would you like me to...call you that?" He asked quietly, almost afraid to break the atmosphere.

Alisha looked down at him, smiling cheerfully, "Yes." The conversation slowly broke off to other subjects after that, with the Hunter occasionally interrupting her Ghost with naming suggesting, much to his dismay. Eventually Ghost needed to recharge, so Alisha kept watch until dawn crept back into the dead city.


	3. Calm before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small moments of peace, displays of power, and a jumpship.

* * *

The first day they set off together, it was in silence. The now-armed Hunter and her Ghost just silently picked their way through the equally silent city until late evening. They only shared a few words then, and the day was quickly over.

The next week wasn't better, and the tension between them didn't dissipate until the first real fight against the Fallen that Alisha got into.

* * *

[I sense movement ahead, Alisha.] The Hunter nodded in response, pulling her auto rifle out and checking her ammo. Entering the open field area that must have been a park back in the Golden Age, she was met with nothing. Scowling a bit, she muttered dryly to her Ghost, "Good job. Your sensors probably picked up a chipmunk." She could feel the disapproval and hurt radiating off her Ghost in her mind, but she ignored it. Lowering the gun, she called him out, "You want to scan the surrounding area?" She was speaking in a jerky tone and they both knew that she was asking if he needed time to cool off. The Ghost made a nodding motion and flew off. 

Once he left, Alisha did her best to ignore the emotions coming from her Ghost. Despite being a Hunter in classification, she had a unnaturally strong grasp on Light, resulting in a strong link with her Ghost.

To calm herself down, she mentally reviewed the choices she made for the Ghost's name. This method, for once, wasn't working it's magic, and she practically growled in frustration. Alisha could sense herself slowly becoming ill-tempered as a result of her limited choices of social partners, but her only point of contact keeping her sane at the moment was her Ghost, and that was slowly losing its effectiveness. Taking a seat on a rusted bench, she focused on breathing slowly.

Alisha ignored the first rustlings that came from behind her, passing it off as the small animal Ghost had picked up. When a branch snapped behind her, she froze. Terror gripped her, as she realized she had erred greatly.  _Oh god...I've never had to shoot anything before._ _  
_

Swallowing her fear, she tried to calm her frantic mind. Alisha's efforts to get her limbs moving out of their prone state were dashed when she heard a sound close to a animalistic growl. _I can hardly sense Ghost, he's too far away. Am I going to die already?_ Out of her peripheral vision she saw the Fallen Vandal walk around the bench, seeming to completely ignore her. Confused and her panic spiking, she finally sensed her Ghost again, giving off the feeling of being panicked because she was panicked.

Taking a deep breath, knowing help was arriving, she started planning. Apparently the enemy couldn't see her and its back was to her. Slowly lifting her weapon, she aimed it at its head and pulled the trigger. The moment only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to her. When it was over, she blinked and let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Walking to the corpse, she had just picked up its weapon when her Ghost reentered the area. He was practically radiating terror, and when she look up at him, his azure optic a pinprick of light.

"Oh thank..! You're okay!" He floated over to her, flitting around her anxiously, "Y-you are okay...right?" At her responding nod, the Ghost stopped his jerky movements around her.

"I'm sorry."

Ghost looked at her, optic widening, "Wait...why?"

"For not trusting you. You were right about..." She trailed off, lazily waving a hand toward the Fallen enemy she had slain. Her Ghost scoffed in response, "I don't blame you, Guardian. It's fine." Despite her skeptical look, she stood, gesturing for him to dissipate. They still had ground to cover.

* * *

That night, Alisha fell asleep with her Ghost in her arms. In her half-asleep state she hummed contemplatively, "Mm...how about...Ryu?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ryu...I dunno, it just sounds like...you."

"Whatever you say, Alisha..." The newly-dubbed Ryu looked up at his Guardian, and steeled his resolve to find a way back to the Tower. 

* * *

It took them another few weeks to find the jumpship, and during that time, the pair grew closer together. Ryu was never as far away from his Guardian as he had been during their first argument, and Alisha didn't let terror overtake her anymore during the fights with the Fallen and Hive that followed.

When Ryu finally got a lead on a possible ride back to the City, they hurried to the last place the Jumpship had landed. What they saw there shocked them; the area was overrun with Fallen, and the Jumpship was still there.

After Alisha cleared the room out, they found the reason that the ship was there. In a room off to the side of the building, Alisha found a dead Guardian and a few feet away was what they assumed was the Guardian's Ghost. 

"Well, what do we do now?" She asked quietly, having taken the dog tags of the fallen Guardian.

"I can connect to the ship. Since the...previous Ghost connected to it is..." He trailed off, and Alisha looked at him, eyes gently showing her sympathy.

"If you can...I would appreciate it."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muse is spoiling you.  
> No. She hasn't let me sleep yet. Send help.
> 
> Kudos make my world go round.
> 
> Also, I'm squeeing because the person who inspired me read this! Adjfdhajkf! THANK YOU.


	4. Oh, Shiny!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tower shenanigans and meeting new friends.

* * *

After they claimed the jumpship, they wasted no time getting to the City. With Ryu guiding them, it took only an hour to get to Europe. Dropping into the Tower for the first time while tired and a bit stunned, she was awed by the amount of Guardians she saw. Ryu materialized beside her, and through his relief to be back in the hub of Light, he could see the effects of suddenly being thrust into civilization were too much for his exhausted Guardian.

Turning his tone cheerful and bright, Ryu regained the attention of the Hunter, "Welcome to your new home, Al. This is the social hub for all Guardians of the Light." He started floating off towards the dorms while speaking, and Alisha quickly followed him out of habit. "Here you can restock on ammo, weapons, get new gear, have the Cryptarch decode engrams you find, and make new friends."

"How many people do you think there are here?" Her breathless tone didn't surprise him, but she was still looking everywhere at once. The Ghost stopped to regain his thoughts and form a plan, "Uh...close to forty Guardians? It's a tiny amount next to the full amount of Guardians in the City's arsenal."

"Forty...do they all live here?" The Ghost perked up at the question, she had just made the perfect opening for him to guide her to the 'Innkeeper.'

"Most of them, yes. Some are nomads, and some just sleep wherever. I've seen a Warlock sleeping in the tree by the Gunsmith before," Simulating a cough to get her attention, he continued, "Now, I know you're curious, but I think sleep has a higher priority right now to almost everything else. Could you follow me?" He glanced at her, and caught an amused look from her. Confused, he continued leading her to her Vanguard trainer. He noted her down and sent her away, which left them to go find Innkeeper.

Innkeeper was an Awoken citizen who had pulled strings to get up to the Tower, much like many other vendors. Once he got there, he made apartments for Guardians and gave them at request. Finding him was the hard part. When Alisha and Ryu finally found him outside the Speaker's Tower, he was about to head home. Luckily, he was in a good mood and just handed them a couple of keys for an apartment before wandering off.

Rejoicing their successful day, they headed to their newly-acquired base of operations and let the tired Guardian collapse on a bed for the first time.

* * *

It took Ryu two days to drag his Hunter out of her rooms and outside to meet other Guardians. Even when he finally succeeded, she was hesitant and unwilling to strike up a conversation with the busy-looking Guardians. Al stood in the shadows of the Post office while Guardians buzzed past her without even looking. Ryu looked at her from her side, "Don't worry, there's plenty of Guardians who sit around looking for company. They're not all running around like madmen."

"Ryu?"

"Yeah?" He replied warily, her tone was quiet and self-imposing, not the type of questions he liked.

"How come they're so busy and I'm not?"

"Well...I figured you needed a bit of a break, so I haven't introduced you to the Speaker yet. When we visit him, he'll clear us for bounties and missions, and we'll be busy for quite a while. I just thought you'd enjoy a bit of time to yourself after your hectic awakening." He didn't like how defensive she made him feel about his decisions on her well-being. It wasn't...healthy.

He fidgeted while his Guardian was quietly processing his explanation; in their silence, he calmed himself by looking at the other Guardians around. A female redheaded Hunter was talking with a black haired male Warlock, oh look, there's a group of Guardians gathering by the Cryptarch for a Raid, and hey, there's the odd Exo Warlock and his Ghost.

"So...today is nice. Pretty sunny." Ryu was so caught up in his thoughts, he jumped when Alisha spoke quietly to him. "E-eheh. Yeah. I guess it is. Nice compaired to the rain we dealt with."

They quickly descended into silence again, and like children, stubbornly refused to be the one to restart it.

Ryu blinked as he noticed the Hunter he had noticed before was now looking at them. He watched the pair walk over, and once they got close, he hovered off to the other side of his Hunter to get out of their way.

"Heya! You new here?" The female (human?) Guardian greeted her first, her slightly glowing green eyes sparking with amusement and untold social evils she had committed.

Alisha jumped a bit at the newcomers, biting her lip, "I...uh..Yeah I am. Just got here a few days ago." The Ghost and Guardian watched the female nudge her human companion, grinning smugly.

"See, I told you I could sense newbies, Roy. And to think you doubted me. For shame!" The dark haired Warlock rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and turned his attention to Al.

Holding a hand out, he smiled kindly at her, "Hello. I'm Roy, and my partner here is Kim. We're sorry if we were interrupting something, but Kim has a knack for spotting new recruits, and I know how horrible it is to start off socially here; even with Kim here to guide me me, it was rough adjusting." He tried to ignore Kim's mock-serious nods.

"I'm Alisha, and this is my Ghost, Ryu. Nice to meet you." Alisha smiled back slightly, gesturing at her Ghost. "Hullo. Nice to meet you. I'll be going now. Uh...Call me if you need me, Guardian."

Alisha stood in disbelief as her Ghost made a hasty retreat, leaving her with her new acquaintances. Kim watched with interest, amused at Ryu's reaction to Alisha's introduction of him.

"Naming and introducing your Ghost. That's a new one. Where'd you show up from, kid?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing these while sick. Damn flu.  
> Remember there's a comment option! I don't bite! (Unless you're into that. *wink wink*)
> 
> Also, is anyone interested in being my beta-reader?
> 
> P.S. MY GOD THIS CHAPTER TOOK LONGER TO WRITE THAN I WANTED.


	5. Friends with common interests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendly friends being friendly, some work gets done, and Al realizes that she's surrounded by people who fight weird.

* * *

 

"So...you're telling me most people treat their Ghost like tools?" Alisha made a face when Kim nodded in response, "That's horrible. They're obviously sentient. I dunno about you, but I don't think AIs were even created back...when I was alive. Could be wrong. Memory's a bit fuzzy."

"All of our memories are fuzzy. Comes with the revival," Kim smiled sympathetically at her, briefly looking away as Roy came back with their new bounties, "Oh hun, I've got to go now. Here," The older Hunter handed the fuming Hunter a ball of Light, "This is to give to your Ghost. It has our contact info. Let's go hunting sometime, sweetie."

Holding the Light, she missed the contemplative look Kim sent her before pulling her own Ghost out to take Roy and herself up to orbit. When she looked up again at hearing the quiet, easy to miss _'_ _shhhhk'_ she was startled to be met with empty space. Alisha sighed and stood, taking care to not tighten her grip on the ball when she stretched.

The conversation between the three has been eye opening on the inner social structure of the Tower, but Alisha refused to change the way she acknowledged her Ghost. Without her Ryu, she wouldn't have survived out in the Wild. Because of the time out there, she had gained a strong bond with her Ghost. The very idea of just  _using_ him like a tool made her skin crawl and want to see him.

With a new goal, she found herself stopping before taking a step. She didn't even know where Ryu was.  _If you need me, call me..._

Smacking her forehead lightly, she focused on the trail of Light in her mind that lead from her to her companion. It lead her back home, and she cautiously opened her front door. "Ryu..?" She heard a small surprised yelp from the living room area, and she followed it there.

Ryu looked at her as she entered, optic diluted a tiny bit in surprise, "I told you to call if you needed me, you didn't need to search me out.." His optic widened again at the tiny smile Alisha gave him.

"I hate asking for help when I have the ability to do something myself. Plus, walking is good for me. What'ca up to?" Plopping down on the couch, she reached out and cupped him in her palms. He willingly let her draw him closer to her, and once close enough, he hovered in front of her.

"Nothing really, was just passing the time," He looked away from her gaze, hovering off to the side a bit.

"Oh! Kim, I think that was her name, gave me this," Alisha held out the ball of Light, watching as Ryu's attitude brightened and he floated closer to it, "She said to give it to you."

"Oh yes. Guardians can give info out to other Guardians by switching files with their Ghosts, a popular method is through Light. Here, I'll get her info now." He expanded his inner orb of Light, gently taking the Light from her palm, "Oh, it's both Guardian's info. Kim and Roy Mustang."

"Guardians can get married?"

"Yes, though it's rarer nowadays. Most Guardians don't...connect that way."

* * *

A few weeks after meeting the pair, Alisha finally goes to meet the Speaker to clear herself for bounties and missions. She also was cleared for Strikes at the same time, much to Ryu's surprise.

"You're very resilient and skillful for a new Guardian, take pride in this," The Speaker said in his ever commanding voice. Alisha nodded respectfully, trying to ignore the gut feeling that she couldn't trust the man before her.

"Thank you, sir."

"Go forth, drive the Darkness back, Guardian," The Speaker turned from her, returning to his research, so she took it as her cue to book it out of there. Once in the Plaza, she called Ryu out to ask him to take them to orbit while ignoring the searching look she got in return for her behavior.

* * *

A few weeks and many bounties later, Alisha and Ryu found themselves on their first Strike. She joined Kim for the first one. They were chatting over fireteam channel when the third person in their Strike team piped up, having a slight metallic ring in his voice, marking the Warlock as an Exo.

Continuing with the Strike, Alisha found herself observing her partners' fighting styles. Kim fought recklessly and seemed to channel the Warlock's traditional melee attack of a burst of Light more than using her knives. The Exo fought more like a Titan. It was perplexing to say the least, and she found Ryu yelling at her about enemies ' _right next to her, and she needed to start focusing because he couldn't revive her here quickly._ '

At the end of the Strike, the group paused until Kim had to leave.

"Sorry, Roy is working on another Strike, let's talk later!" Kim waved as she disappeared to Orbit. Alisha waved back in a tiny movement, smiling at Ryu who had materialized next to her.

Taking the party to the Tower, she looked at the Exo who had helped them. Shyly, she turned to him, waiting until there was a lull in the conversation that he was having with his Ghost.

"Um...thank you for helping with the Strike. My name is Alisha," She gestured next to her, where her Ghost was floating and looking at the next thing they needed to do, "and this is Ryu."

The Warlock looked surprised she was talking with him, but quickly gave her a cheerful smile, "It was no big deal. I'm Günther, and this is Geist!" Alisha blinked that he had named his Ghost too. She didn't have much time to ponder this event as Ryu came back to her.

"Ah, looks like the Speaker wants Guardians to go out and get rid of an Archon Priest on Venus. We should get going." Ryu looked between the Guardians, focusing on his more than the Exo.

"Ah right. Oh! Can...can I trade contact information with you, Günther?" Alisha asked quietly, relaxing when the Warlock nodded. Quickly after that, Alisha had a new acquaintance and was hurrying off to another fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can get the reference for Roy, you get an internet cookie.  
> Actually, everyone reading this can have an internet cookie. I have too many, and you're wonderful.
> 
> Beta reader offer still stands.
> 
> MY GOD, EIKUUHYO IS AN ANGEL.


	6. Storm Clouds Brew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonds strengthen when threatened.

* * *

Other than taking Strikes, Alisha also took solo missions. Often, she took them when she needed to just  _get away_ from everything and could only stand the company of her Ghost. It wasn't unusual for her to take several days more to report back to the Tower after completing an assignment, especially if it was on Earth. The Hunter was a bit of a wandering soul, and liked to explore the Cosmodrone on her free time. The Ghost didn't mind her wandering lust, and after the first few trips, stopped fidgeting after a few days out in the Wild.

While in the Wild, the boundaries between them thinned, and they found themselves quietly talking about anything. Just speaking freely.

One night out in the Cosmodrone, on the way to a mission location, they paused in an abandoned shed with a hole in its roof. Staring up at the moon, Alisha rubbed her eyes and gently rubbed her thumb absently on a panel of the Ghost's shell.

"Mm...hard to believe the Hive control the moon when it's so beautiful.." She murmured quietly, letting a breath out. It fogged in the chilly air.

"Back when I was searching for you, I use to look at the moon and wonder what they were doing."

"And?"

"The signals were always locked and muted." The girl smiled, closing her eyes. As she fell into a dreamless sleep, her Ghost watched her briefly, his cerulean optic the only light in the shed other than the moon. His optic flicked up to the moon again, catching the smallest of activity from the asteroid.

* * *

This mission wasn't going as well as it should have been. She had been sent out to investigate some heavy Fallen activity that may be connected to a group of Guardians going dark. She had a bad feeling about this assignment, but proceeded anyway. Now she wished she had called it quits while she had the chance.

"Al! I may have gotten through, but I need more time!" Ryu's yelling through their link pulled her out of her thoughts.

"We don't _have_ time, Ryu!" Alisha quickly dispatched a group of thrall coming towards her with a grenade, stabbing the remaining one before ducking behind a computer from the Golden Age, "I can give you a minute, that's all."

"I need more than that! Just...arg! Trust me on this." Chewing her bottom lip, she swore under her breath as she dealt with the new group of Acolytes testing the waters. After she got two of them, the rest ran behind the doorway. A Wizard glided across the opening, throwing its  _goddarned balls of energy._

"Are we closer yet?! You have thirty more sec-" She froze as she turned and saw an Acolyte standing  _right behind Ryu._ Without thinking, she launched herself at the unsuspecting Hive and felt a grim satisfaction at dispatching it. The next thought she had was whether the Ghost was fine, and looked up at him quickly as he disconnected from the machine.

"Done! I fixed the Array-...Al? What's wrong?" She blinked, shaking her head as she stood. "You sure? Fine. We should go, I'll explain once we're back at the Tower."

* * *

That night, safe in their apartment, Alisha requested something that she normally didn't while they were at the Tower.

Laying in bed, Alisha found it hard to sleep as every time she closed her eyes, she saw the Acolyte behind Ryu and felt a stab of panic. After the fourth time, she opened her eyes and looked around for her Ghost.

"...Ryu?" It was a quiet question, and for a moment she thought she had just imagined saying it. A minute that felt like an eternity later, she saw Ryu come into the bedroom and look at her. He was silent for a moment, but then read the dying fear in her eyes and floated closer.

"Al..?" His voice had hints of worry in it. Alisha looked away from him for a moment, her voice remarkably small.

"Could you...stay with me tonight?" She didn't see his optic widening at the request, but felt him settle against her chest. Sighing in relief, she curled around him, closing her eyes and finally drifting off to sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My shoulder hurrrts. ;~;
> 
> I got a Christmas tree today.
> 
>  
> 
> Beware, lovelies, something unhappy approaches.


	7. Someone to fight for...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alisha can get scary quickly when you threaten things she loves.

* * *

Some Strikes went better than others. And some people know how to accept blame better than others.

_'I wish this fool would shut up and stop trying to get me to apologize...'_ Alisha stood at the grassy landing area for the Tower, sighing as she allowed Ryu to take all of her guns except the hand cannon she had been practicing with for once. Turning to her Ghost, she kept her face carefully bored looking, though he could tell she was irritated.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" The source of her irritation was an Awoken Titan who was the fireteam leader, who was currently yelling at her.

"For the record, no. I don't listen to people who are screaming at me like children," Alisha brushed her bangs to the side, sighing to compose herself as the Titan stuttered and stormed up to her. The Hunter easily dodged the punch, side stepping out of his reach.

"Get a hold on yourself. The only person making you look stupid here is you. Yes, I messed up, but so did you. Almost all of us had fatal mistakes," Pausing to make sure she had his attention, Alisha looked the Titan dead in the eyes, making him flinch, "Learn from your mistakes and move on. That is the way to live. Quit using others to cover up your own messes."

Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the other members of the fireteam nodding at what she said, and a few decided to leave. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the stuttering Awoken. After half a minute of staring, she looked away and turned to Ryu, who was hovering nervously to her right. Gesturing with her head, she started moving away, with her Ghost quickly moving towards her.

As she moved away, Alisha heard the Titan recover from her barrage. 

"Bitch..."

The corners of her lips turned down almost imperceptibly at the insult, but she continued walking away.

"You're just a bitch who's Ghost was stupid to revive you. Pfft, bet the Ghost has mental capacity issues and accidentally revived you instead of a proper Guardian." Her steps faltered at that, and her thoughts became a mantra of  _'Don't do it. He's not worth your time.'_

What broke her resolve was the Titan walking up behind her and grabbing  _her Ryu._

"Heh, bugger even has a different color sche-!" He stopped taking when a drawn Hand cannon was shoved into his face by the very angry Hunter. He thought he had seen her angry when she was insulting him, but her look now took the cake.

Her eyes shone with a dark light, her gaze unwavering, and the hand holding the gun was dead still.

"Let. My. Ghost. Go. This is your only warning."

The Titan couldn't have let Ryu go faster, or ran tripping away from her.

The Hunter however immediately reached out for her Ghost, dropping the Hand cannon to do so, and pulled him close. "Alisha? Al, I'm fine...Al?"

She stood like that, just holding Ryu and reassuring herself that he was fine, before she bend and picked her gun up. She didn't speak a word until she was in the dark shade of the tree by the Gunsmith.

"...You're really okay? He didn't grab you too tight?"

Ryu sighed in relief, her sudden silence had worried him, "Yes, I'm really okay, Al. I'm not that fragile."

"Sorry...I just..." Alisha shook her head, resting him in her lap so she could wipe her eyes with her free hand.

"Al..?"

"...I can't lose you, Ryu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little known fact: I have at this moment two chapters still in editing for the future. I like this system.
> 
> Eh, this chapter will do. I just like the concept.


	8. Sleigh bells ring...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...are you listening?
> 
> In which Alisha gives a gift back to a friend.
> 
> Merry Christmas, y'all.

* * *

Christmas.

She had forgotten about holidays.

Living in a society that rarely celebrated them, they lost their value and were forgotten as a whole.

Coming back from a successful bounty spree, Ryu had been saying they could take a break for a while after this. Basically saying they get to have  _us_ time for a week or so until one of them got antsy.

Alisha was surprised and a bit startled to hear the Exo Guardian she had become friends with yelling her and her Ghost's name at top volume.

She hadn't heard of Guardians giving things out to other Guardians before, so she was a little wary of the box he held, even if she trusted him unconditionally. Then he went and said that  _word._

 _Christmas._ She still was marveling at the sniper rifle. If she gave it any more attention, she was sure Ryu would implode out of jealousy. The thought made her smile, and she could feel the wary acceptance coming from her beloved Ghost.

Looking up, she set  _Patience and Time_ down in favor of pulling Ryu to her. He huffed indignantly at her knowing smile, but happily submitted himself to the attention. Taking the cloth she had been using to clean the gun, she affectionately started cleaning his shell. _  
_

"Ryu?"

"Mm...yes Al?" The distracted Ghost replied absently to her inquiry.

"Can we go hunting? I need to find something, and it'll cost us." This got Ryu's attention.

"Sure, but why do we need to buy something?"

"I like to be kind to my friends, and one has set an example."

* * *

By the time Alisha had all the items she was looking for, it was early morning. Deciding that now was a good of time of any to find the pair who she met first. They tended to be unpredictable when it came to the matter of when they were up and about. They were the Vanguard's go-to people for highly dangerous, and high maintenance assignments, which resulted in their sleep cycles being wonky.

Luckily for her, she found them by the frame that gave out the daily bounties, bickering between themselves.

Smiling a bit to herself, she pulled their gifts out and walked up to them. They turned and waved as she approached. Handing them the boxes, she enjoyed the gleeful yell from the Redhead as the box revealed the Ascendant Shards she had needed to finally upgrade her armor. A similar amount was in Roy's box, and he mainly was watching his wife's reaction.

 

After that, it boiled down to waiting for her only other target to return to the Tower. It took longer than she thought, and she was dozing in the mid-afternoon sun when Günther dropped down from his ship. Ryu quickly woke the slumbering Hunter, and she rubbed her eyes as she called out to the Warlock.

"Günther! Hey, can you spare a minute?" The pair paused before bounding over to her. When they arrived, she pulled out the large square box from where she had been using it as a pillow. "This is for you."

"For me? Wow! Thanks, Alisha!" She gave a small smile in response, stretching out her cramped muscles while he opened the box.

"This is..."

"A replica of the kit I use to clean Ryu. I noticed that Geist got scratches and sometimes the next time we meet they're gone," Alisha quietly explained, eyes looking at the pair before her warmly.

"I...thank you."

"Yes, thank you Guardian."

Alisha gave a laugh, "Merry Christmas, Günther."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...There was NO WAY I wasn't giving Eikuuhyo a response chapter. It was just a matter of if my story was in a good place to do this. Soooo...this is quite a bit in the future. Like...five chapters storywise.
> 
> Also, I'm thinking of making a silly drabble story for Destiny. Mainly cause I want to write down the things my father and I laugh about.  
> Such as the Speaker being banned from the Comm system.
> 
> NOTE: I GOT MY FIRST EXOTIC WEAPON. An engram bumped up!  
> Also: I wrote this before Chapter 7 was even written.


	9. Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character growth times. Yaaaaaay...

* * *

Despite her low workload, the amount of time where she just wandered the Cosmodrome or whichever planet she was on at the time, after the missions meant that she rarely got to socialize with people at the Tower. So the very fact Günther had not only found her while at the Tower, but convinced her to join him in lounging around was astounding.

Sitting on the Postmaster's office, Alisha laid back and smiled at the sky. "Nice day, huh?"

The Warlock next to her nodded, his green optics warmly looking at the sky too, "Yup. The sun is even out right now!"

Alisha snickered in response, "Yes! The Traveler isn't blocking the rays for once." In response, her Ghost gave a disbelieving and shocked gasp, "ALISHA!" Which only served to make the usually reserved Hunter laugh uncontrollably.

Günther and Geist stared at her before Günther started laughing too, grinning with her. Both Ghosts were disapproving of the poke towards the Traveler, but were being ignored by their respective Guardians. When Geist gave an exasperated sigh, the Warlock grabbed him and held him, eyeing the fellow Guardian nervously.

Her only reaction was to smile brightly at him, making him smile back equally cheerily.

"Hey Günther."

"Yes, Ali?"

"How'd you wake up?" Alisha was staring at the sky again, though it was obvious her attention was on the story that her friend and his Ghost launched into.

 

 

A few hours later, the pair was laughing loudly again, much to many other Guardians' annoyances and confusion. They had been trading stories, and Alisha had opened up, showing the slightly wickedly mischievous side that she shoved under layers of calm. She had made suggestions of ways to improve their fighting styles that made Geist start wondering if letting her be around Günther was a good idea.

"What if you use Nova bomb to kill a large cluster, and I pick off the survivors with Golden Gun? That'd work out well, wouldn't it?"

"And waste Golden Gun? The survivors could easily be taken out with a normal gun. They'd be weakened..." The debate continued for a while, the subjects they discussed widely fluctuated until it was late evening and Alisha bid him farewell for her bed.

* * *

"Günther is rather nice, isn't he?" Alisha glanced at her Ghost, who was trying to not look sulky on the other side of the bed and failing. Slowly realizing what was going on, she grinned.

"Oh he is, isn't he?" She kept her look dreamy as she saw her Ghost jerk to look at her quickly, optic narrowing in surprise. "I mean, he  _is_ rather sweet..." Alisha took in her Ghost's surprisingly expressive angst look before continuing, "...to his Ghost."

At the confused look she got back, she laughed quietly. "Did you think I liked Günther? Aww, that's so cute!" She scooped him up in her arms, smugly smiling at the indignate look she got back from him.

"If there's anyone I care for that way, it'd be the person I spend the most time with," Despite her best efforts, a light flush appeared on her cheeks as she said that, and she plopped on her side, cuddling Ryu.

They laid like that for a few minutes, and Alisha had started drifting off when the Ghost whispered.

"I care for you too, Al."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story, I was cheerfully writing this up until I realized I'd have to write Günther's interactions with Al and froze up.  
> My thought process was literally "OH SHIT," and went to reread Eikuuhyo's Warlock's story to regrasp his character.
> 
> I'm bad at other people's characters. Don't hate meeeeeeeee.  
> If you like this story, feel free to comment. I'd like to know what you think.


	10. Can you feel the fluff tonight...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just figured you'd have some fluff for once.

* * *

Waking up had always been a groggy experience. Alisha had the feeling that she had always hated mornings, even Before. Though waking up in her bed, curled around Ryu's shell, it didn't seem so bad.

Downside of waking up this way was that she was disinclined to get up, and often fell back asleep to only wake up to Ryu's nagging. Shaking off her thoughts, she yawned and rubbed her eyes. Looking down at the Ghost, a smile graced her lips. It wasn't often she let someone so far into her heart. She had the people she'd fight for,  _friends_ some might call them. People like Günther and Kim fit into this group.

Then she had the smaller populated group of people she'd die for, which her Ryu falls into. He had her back and she had his life. They were partners, and she refused to work without him.

A weak point, if someone chose to exploit that devotion. Sighing, Alisha stroked the dark hull gently, frowning at the scratches. She'd gotten sloppy on the maintenance. Slipping into her thoughts again, she didn't notice when Ryu powered up again, blinking his optic before realizing what was going on.

"Alisha? You're awake? That's a new sight." He was poking fun at her, and she smiled at him as she refocused on the machine.

"Is it really? Maybe it's because I stare at you for so long during the night."

"Pffft, weirdo."

"Love ya too, oddball," Alisha grinned at him, sitting up. She said her last jest at him half-heartily. Getting dressed, she briefly wondered why it felt so much like a lie when she said it that way to him.

"Love. Such an odd word if you think about it. It's short and conveys such a huuuuuge part of humanoid species cultures. Exo, Awoken, Humans themselves..." Walking towards the kitchenette, she pulled an ice cream cone out, starting to lick it as she mused out loud.

"Okay, now you're monologuing, what'd we do to deserve this?" Ryu followed her slowly, obviously amused by the day's events so far. Rolling her eyes, she turned to him.

"Oh you know, just pondering life as we know it."

"Dangerous that, Al," He teased, optic bright with silent laughter.

"The thinking or the subject, luv?" Alisha moved closer, mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"B-both." Startled by her sudden closeness, he jerked back, briefly losing his cool. Glaring at her, Ryu hovered close again, which proved a mistake as he accidently moved into her ice cream.

"GAH!" Once again surprised, he shook himself at the sudden cold. _Why was he even able to feel the difference?!_ Huffing at Alisha's laughter, he indignantly floated away.

Stifling the laughter for the most part, she put the cone on a plate, reaching out to the retreating Ghost. "Come 'ere. I'll stop laughing, promise." Grinning despite herself, Alisha pulled her sulking Ghost to her.

"Awww, you got ice cream on you. Darn, now we need to clean it up.." Pausing for a moment, Alisha decided to just go with the instinct she had. Bringing the Ghost up to her mouth, she licked the offending vanilla off of him.

"....!" The noise from the Ghost sounded like a strangled squeak and...moan? As he materalized outside her grasp, she looked at him in puzzlement and the look she got was flustered shock.

"I-I'm going to check on...on the board," He stuttered out before making his getaway. Letting him leave, his Guardian was left to ponder what just happened.

* * *

After half an hour, Ryu returned, looking much more composed than he had been before. Looking up from her second cone, Alisha noted the difference.

"Guardian, some people have been found to want to do the raid against Crota." His too detached tone made her regret her actions, but she steeled herself.

"Crota? But he killed his soul. He should be gone."

"That's what I thought too."

"Anyone we know in the group?" 

"Yes." Sighing, she stood and walked to the closet without glancing at him again. Through their bond, she felt a tiny stab of panic from Ryu, and she paused to look at him.

"Ryu? I'm sorry."

Ryu looked startled, much to her slight amusement, "What for?"

"For the...ice cream. You did the 'Guardian' thing again."

"...Oh." Alisha stared at him, confused, before it clicked.

"Ryu, do you not want me going on this raid?" Linking eyes, she held her gaze. He fidgeted and looked away.

"I...I'm conflicted. I'm not sure if my feelings are founded..."

"I'll be extra careful," Alisha smiled at him gently before grabbing her gear and putting it on, "Let's go kick a god's ass for the second time, Ryu."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to self: Muse gets sulky when you ignore her.
> 
> In other news, Muse decided she's mad with me and is making it hard to write, BUT she's thrown a complete storyline at me, so this is gonna turn into a real story. This will be the drabble story of the series.


	11. Longing Loneliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heeey, I'm tired, but let's give you this adorable chapter before shit goes down next chapter.
> 
> Oops, did I write that?  
> Also, you get to meet my friend's character! Who's literally named the same thing as himself.

* * *

When Ryu went on missions for the Speaker by himself, leaving his Hunter behind, Alisha tended to wander the Tower aimlessly until he got back. Often bored out of her mind, and in need of something to take her mind off her Ghost, she'd turn to weirding out the other Guardians. Sitting on the tarp above the Cryptarch, she'd stare silently at the Guardians who approached him, and most would look at her nervously before practically running away after doing their business they had come to do. Eventually she had to leave because the Cryptarch caught on and asked her to stop it.

Moving on from point to point, eventually she found herself sitting on the balcony ledge above Eris's ship. She'd thought about sitting on it at one point, but deleted the thought before acting on it. Sitting with only her thoughts to accompany her, she suddenly felt a ping of sympathy for the fallen Guardian below her. She had to deal without her Ghost every day, which would be Alisha's version of Hell. Leaning over the ledge, she swung down to Eris's area, waving a bit at her.

"Guardian, under what intentions do you visit me?" Eris stared at the Hunter sitting next to her curiously. It wasn't often she got visitors who weren't getting bounties or missions from her.

Alisha shrugged, "Just want to keep you company. Don't you ever get lonely?" Taken aback, the fallen Guardian looked away.

"I do not see how my loneliness matters."

"Dull."

"...Pardon me?" Eris's tone sharpened in surprise and anger at the answer. Watching Alisha sit forward with a frown, Eris held the serious stare Alisha sent her way.

"Just because you lost your team and your Ghost doesn't mean you've lost your worth. Sure, you're going to have a ton of issues now, but you're alive and working," The Hunter huffed a laugh, bitter smile on her face, "Hell, you've got me into another war with a god."

Eris didn't answer, and looked into her glowing green-black ball again. Alisha looked at the ground, sighing.

"I'm sorry. I just...see a future I never want in you." Alisha mumbled quietly, standing up.

"Don't make my mistake." Eris replied equally quietly, not looking at the Guardian next to her. Alisha paused, then jogged away to the upper area again, sitting on the opposite ledge this time, hugging her knees while staring at the Traveler. Ignoring the footsteps approaching her, she glared, preparing herself for a flirting asshole.

"Hey there, mind if I sit next to you?" The male human leaned on the rail behind her, and she sent a glare over her shoulder.

"Woah there, sheath your claws Kitty. I'm just making friends." Climbing over the railing and sitting next to her, he held his hands up harmlessly.

"Make friends elsewhere. I'm waiting." Mumbling wasn't below her at this moment, and she just felt tired. Closing her eyes, her lips turned down as she finally acknowledged the aching in her chest.

"He must suck if he's making you wait out here for so long," Ignoring her glare, he smirked at her, "Oh please, Kitty. I've been watching you run around the Tower all day."

"He's busy, that's all." Resisting the urge to hiss, Alisha shifted her gaze away from him and anxiously towards the City. Sighing, the Guardian beside her pat her head.

"He'll probably be fine, whoever he is, Kitty. I'm Jerry, by the way."

"Alisha." There was a pause in the conversation before Jerry looked at her with a grin.

"You are aware I'm just going to keep calling you Kitty, right?"

"I had a feeling you would." Alisha rolled her eyes as Jerry laughed and smiled at her.

"Kitty? I know you'd like to keep looking out for your boyfriend, but I could use help on a mission. Shouldn't be too hard."

Alisha looked away, voice emotionless and guarded, "My Ghost is out on a mission." She could feel Jerry's stare as he connected two and two together. They sat in silence for a while longer before he finally replied.

"I...The ships do have a manual mode, and I'll cover for you. I can keep an eye on your vitals."

"Really?"

"Really." Alisha stood as a response, stretching and looking at her new buddy who just stared back at her.

Arching an eyebrow impatiently, she looked at him expectantly, "Well? Are we going or were you toying with me?" The Guardian's eyes widened and he scrambled to get up, grinning when he did.

"Oh please, like I would joke like that with you, Kitty. Let's go kick some Hive ass!"

 

 

After the mission, which had been to rescue the Warmind she had been researching for the Tower, they returned to the ledge. Other than a few more scratches, Alisha had come away from the mission mostly unscathed. Jerry had launched himself at her every time she had been close to dying, and had used himself as a shield until she recovered. It turned out that he was a Warlock, and reminded her a bit of of her other Warlock friend personality wise. A bit.

Leaning on his shoulder, she closed her eyes to the sunset. He was stroking her hair and she was relaxing for the first time since Ryu left on the mission. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Kitty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *coughmybirthdayisonthe18thcough*
> 
> Also, I love you guys so much, you know that right?


	12. This is why we can't have nice things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're...not going to like this.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have only done the beginning part, which frankly is a hard part once you start running.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the briefing screen that Ryu pulled up for her. Clicking on her comms system on, she flicked through the people in the raid, pleasantly surprised to see Günther among the names. Listening to the plan, she put in some opinions when needed.

Dropping down on the Moon's surface, she scanned the area and looked at Ryu briefly before he disappeared into her.

[I'm still here, I'll just be silent for most of the Raid.] Ryu's voice drifted to her, making her smile.

[ _Noted._ ] She replied over the bond, focusing on the task before her. The party was stretched out in a odd line in front of her. She quickly located her friend and jogged to him, tapping him on the shoulder and nodding at him.

He replied by turning and hugging her.

"ALI!" The Warlock yelled joyfully, much to her embarrassment and the fireteam's amusement, "I didn't realize you were here!"

Laughing quietly despite herself, "Hello to you too, Günther. I'm just as surprised to see you here."

"Oh you know...I had a friend ask if I could help, but what about you?" They followed the main group to the circle, and Alisha tried to calm her nerves when the circle started glowing and the ground shook.

"Ah...Ryu found this group that needed one more Guardian, so we joined. Imagine my surprise that I actually knew one person in the group."

"Actually, you know two, Kitty." Turning towards the voice, she scoffed at the nickname, and flushed when Ryu repeated it in confusion.

"Oh, so you're here too, Ginger." Alisha watched as the human Warlock burst into laughter at the nickname.

"Ginger! I haven't heard  _that_ before!" They bickered for a few seconds before the bridge was built and the fireteam descended down.

 

 

Standing in the dark underground area, Alisha swallowed as she looked out into the shadows. Looking out, she could feel the pressure of the Darkness pushing on her, and it worried her.

"I..." She paused, sighing. Jerry and Günther looked at her in confusion, but she simply shook her head in response to them.

[Ryu. Something is wrong. I don't trust this place.] Turning her back to the group, she focused on talking through the bond.

[ _The Darkness is overwhelming here. We should still be able to get through anyway, Al._ ] Ryu's voice drifted back to her, attempting to reassure his Guardian though they both knew that wasn't going to work.

Sighing a bit, catching the Warlock's attentions again.

[I don't like this. It just feels...off, but I keep going if you insist.] She sent the terse thought back to her Ghost before rejoining the group. Ryu sent back protesting messages, but Alisha ignored them in favor of focusing of the plan of just running forward into the Darkness.

 

"This has to be one of the oddest plans I have been privy to." Alisha shook her head, holding back a snort of laughter, and glancing at Jerry made her notice that he was having the same response.

The Titan in charge glared at her, and she stared back defiantly, "I didn't say it was bad, I said it was odd." The Titan shook his head before turning to the lamp they were going to run for.

"Everyone ready?" The question's replies were a wide variety of yeses, "Let's go!"

 

 

Several minutes later, the only Guardians still up and running were Günther and Alisha, and they were going to be overrun soon if someone didn't do something soon. Alisha's gut had sunk when she realized this was going exactly how she didn't want this to go. Making a plan, she faltered and screamed when a Thrall sliced her calf open. Falling to the ground, she instinctively shoved her Light out in a protective, fiery circle.

Holding her leg and hissing in pain, she heard Günther's worried voice above her. Calming down enough to assess the damage, she grimly realized she couldn't go on anymore. With the Thralls testing the circle of flames she had set up, she pulled Ryu out and shoved enough of her Light to keep him from materializing out of her hands.

"Al? Al what are you doing?" Ryu's slightly terrified voice started his questions the moment she called him out. Hesitating for a moment she held him close.

"...I'm sorry." At her murmured apology, Ryu's optic shrunk and he started up again.

"Why are you-...Al were in this together," When the Hunter shoved her Ghost into the shocked Warlock's hands, Ryu practically started screaming, "NO. I'M NOT LEAVING YOU. DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!"

The Hunter was doing her best to ignore the Ghost and instead was fixing her gaze on the Warlock, "Günther. Take him and  _go._ I can't make it right now."

"I won't abandon you, you're my friend!" Günther shook his head quickly, pulling his hand cannon out, "We can make it throu-"

"It's not abandoning me, Günther. It's saving _him._ " Giving a bitter huff of a laugh, "Plus you could always come get me again. Now GO." With the last word, she mentally shoved more Light at him to counteract the Darkness, and tried to maintain her boundaries against the Thralls. She could tell Günther was hesitating, and her heart ached at the broken cries from her Ghost.

[You know I love you, right?] She heard her Ghost's protests falter at the message, and then pick up at a heartbroken tone.

[ _Then why are you making me leave?_ ] Closing her eyes, she steeled her resolve.

"Günther,  _why the FUCK_ are you  _still here?!"_ She shouted at her friend, watching him recoil and hating that she had caused it, but he needed to leave  _right now_ if he wanted  _anyone_ to live. 

Watching him port up to the orbit, she felt a sense of relief at being able to get Ryu out of this hellhole. Looking outside her fading flames, she grimaced and used a flame to cauterize her wound before standing up.

Guess now she needed to survive.

Huh. That's gonna be interesting. Picking her pulse rifle up again, she gave a grim grin.

 

_Bring it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this and commenting or giving me kudos.  
> I shall now make fixes and start the plotline!
> 
> P.S: Sorry if I mangled your baby, Eikuu. :c


	13. Darkness Dwells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryu worries over his Guardian, and Alisha focuses on surviving until retrieval.

* * *

Once they had reached the Tower, Ryu immediately started his cries to go back. It was easy to see that he was in a state of utter panic at leaving his Guardian back in the Hellhole. Günther kept silent, plates on his mouth turned down. Geist hovered next to him equally silent, knowing that his Guardian was most likely distressed by being forced to leave his friend behind and 

"We have to go back! She's stuck there and-...I-I..." The Ghost's vocals hit static and he stopped struggling, "S-she could be de-..." Ryu's frame shuttered and gave a small whimper, finally fading to silence.

Günther glanced at Geist, and it was at that moment that Jerry burst into the awkward space.

"Hey! Where's Kat?" The human frowned, looking between the machines until it finally hit him. "Oh no, tell me you didn't. DUDE. Well...arg. I guess we have to go back and get her. Couldn't even get stuck somewhere convenient." The Ghosts and Guardian stared at the pacing Warlock until he stopped. 

"I dunno why you're looking at me like that, but I'm rescuing her." Fixing his gaze on Ryu, he raised an eyebrow, "You look like hell. Kitty can handle herself until we get there. I remember she was all sulky when I met her because you were gone. I can only imagine the horrors the Thralls have to deal with right now..."

* * *

Alisha sat in the alcove she had found, leaning against the cold wall. She hadn't been stuck here more than an hour or two, but already she'd gotten the basics of cloaking herself in Darkness. She couldn't use her Light too much or she'd run out, and she didn't feel like regretting getting Ryu out of here or dying.

Ryu...Huffing a laugh that turned into a coughing fit, she gave a sigh. It hadn't been her best idea to send  her Ghost away, or the only remaining teammate, but she hadn't seen the other routes at the time.

"They always do say hindsight is twenty-twenty..." She mumbled to herself, drawing the shadows around her Light again, taking extra care that they didn't touch. Yawning, she peeked out of her notch, noting that the Thrall that had been nearby were now wandering off now that her Light was hidden. Settling against the wall, she closed her eyes. As long as she was careful, she bet that she could survive until help came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some comments on what you think of the chapter would be neat. I'm hoping that you aren't too upset.
> 
> Writer's block. Next chapter will be longer. Promise.


	14. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery and retrieval.
> 
> Guess who's back? Sorry I've been gone.

* * *

She'd lost track of time.

Had it been months or mere days? There was no way to mark the passage of time in the dark cavern where she resided. Her life had become mere survival. Sleep could be fatal at the wrong time, and she already suffered from carelessness. Alisha leaned against the chilly obsidian wall, forming an orb of Light in her hand. Sullenly she stared at the soft blue light, watching specks of Darkness circle lazily on the outside.

While sleeping, she had been careless and the Darkness touched her inner Light. It stained her before she could stop it and now she had a patch of murky Darkness in her. It had mutated to stop being "burnt" by the Light it co-insides with, but the plate of Light that Guardians arrive on and the lamps now hurt to be around. It was odd, she most at peace around the sources of light, but now it came with a stabbing pain that made she feel like she was being torn apart from the inside out.

Dispelling the orb, she lifted a Hand Cannon to dispatch the Thralls milling around in the area, noting how hazy the rocks in the distance looked. Quizzically, she stared at them, hardly noticing as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ryu was anxious. What if they rescued her, only to have her die of some unknown illness? Of course, he knew Guardians didn't get sick, but his Guardian was so odd that it could happen.

"Hey, Ryu? The bridge is made." The Ghost looked at the Warlock. Glancing behind him at the rescue group; Günther, Ginger, and Teradus. Two Warlocks and a Hunter. Turning to Günther, he nodded and floated around behind him.

"Let's go. We'll probably have to grab her and go." Ryu cautioned them over the comm-link as they descended into darkness again. Looking around, the Ghost searched for a trace of his Guardian's light as the team of Guardians dealt with the Thralls that showed up. Finally catching a glimmer of Light, Ryu perked up and flew to where it was.

Alisha condition wasn't stellar, and Ryu was worried about how little Light he could sense from her. She had always been easy to find in missions because of how bright her Light was, but now it was just...dull and muted.

[I found her!] Ryu called to the others, flitting around his Guardian, scanning her, [She's not looking good though.]

[ _Okay. I can carry her out._ ] Ginger rushed over, putting his rifle away in favor of picking up the unconscious Hunter.

[ _We need to hurry. These Thralls aren't thinning out._ ] Teradus grumbled, picking off a few more as they walked back to the Light circle. As they entered it, Ryu felt a flash of pain from Alisha causing him to let out a static screech that short circuited out as he fell out of the air. Günther caught him before he hit the ground, but Ryu was as unconscious as his partner now.

Alisha tensed up in the Warlock's arms as she felt the Light touch the spot of Darkness inside her. Unlike her Light, it hurt her, trying to burn the patch off her. Letting out a pained moan, she fell in and out of awareness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, to make it easy on future projects with Alisha and Ryu by myself or others, I'm marking the storyline I want to do with "AU." It's an Alternate storyline, and "not cannon."
> 
> But the other chapters will be drabble chapters! This chapter is the breaking point for the storylines, but I hope you'll read the other story anyway!  
> Love ya guys. Thanks for sticking with me so long!


	15. Making History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain Hunter is less than pleased at the quiet that has settled in the Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something I've written to get me off this slump. I'm doing prompts now to force myself to write. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sitting on the Gunmaster's roof blanket, Alisha cuddled her Ghost's form, idly watching the few Guardians that were in the Tower go about their business. Once the Reef opened to Tower Guardians at the decree of the Queen, they all practically flooded there.

Now it was rare to see anyone in the Tower, and Alisha had to practically drag anyone from her social group to the Tower when she needed to drop things off there. It frankly was making her short-tempered. Ryu, of course, was keeping her in line, explaining that they weren't to blame.

She just didn't see the allure. Sure, it was a new place, but the guards blocked them from anywhere past the small area they allowed, and she had quickly lost interest in the space as she discovered all of its secrets.

Kim was understandable, as she was Awoken, (or they had decided to just call her that as every time they asked she just smiled slyly at them and didn't respond), and Roy could be forgiven as he was her life-partner. Everyone else had no such excuse though; Teradus was a Tower Exo, Jerry was human, and neither of them had seemed to mind the Tower before. Günther was excused from her wrath as he opted to alternate between the two hubs as he saw fit. Which one was more useful at the time, he went to, and she could understand that logic.

Shifting her gaze to the stars, Alisha felt Ryu stir in her arms. There was a period of silence as he evaluated her emotional level through their bond.

"...Still mad at them for going to the Reef?" The Hunter gave no answer, and she heard him let out a electronic sigh.

"The Reef made history. It's never opened itself to the Tower before, and many people are excited at this," Ryu's voice softened, "Don't be mad forever, Al, they'll come back."

 


	16. Running Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no shame in retreating. After all, you can't fight if your Ghost is busy reviving you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More prompt stuff. Leave prompts in the comments, and I might use it! I also have a Tumblr, so feel free to leave some in my ask box there. (daydreamerofeverything.tumblr.com)

* * *

She didn't mind running away from a fight. Alisha was  _well_ aware when she was outmatched and out of her league, and had no qualms with running. She liked making life easier for her Ghost, and dying didn't make things easier. Sure, it was the reason he was around for her, but she still didn't like the idea of him being exposed while trying to save her from the finality of Death.

However, she couldn't say the same for her friends. Unfortunately, they didn't have seemed to get the memo that dying  _wasn't cool_ when they're on a Raid. Which lead to their current predicament. 

* * *

 

"GINGER!" Alisha cried as she watched the Hobgoblin shoot him down. 

[Guardian down.] Ryu told her calmly, assessing the situation for her. Alisha gripped her handgun tighter, her nerves telling her to  _run_ but her mind telling her to keep calm and revive her comrade.

[Tera?] Her voice shook as she ran behind cover, eyeing Jerry's Ghost who was floating mild mannered. The Arena wouldn't harm it, and it couldn't revive its Guardian without help. The Vex were  _everywhere_ and seemed to be swarming over the area where Jerry was.

[ _Working on it!_ ] Came the call back, and soon the swift Exo was cutting through the crowd of enemies, making a clearing for Alisha to get to the Warlock. Dashing out into the open, she slid next to the other's Ghost and made quick work of the remaining Vex as Ryu worked on reviving their Fireteam member.

Once he was up finally, she dove back behind cover as a Hobgoblin was about to shoot her, and Jerry joined her, practically radiating amusement. "A little too close for comfort, Ginger!" The Warlock just looked over at her, and she had the distinct impression he was  _grinning_ at her. The cheeky bastard.

"Aw, don't worry about me, Kitty, I'll be fine!" Alisha had the urge to shoot him herself, just to knock the utter smugness out of him.

"I hate you," She muttered right before standing to shoot the Vex creeping up on them, the only response she got was him laughing.

[ _Will you two please stop being children and focus on the task at hand?_ ] Teradus's mildly annoyed voice crept over the headset to them, making Alisha jump and forcing her back into the mindset she had for fighting.

[Right, sorry.] With that, they went back to the fight.

Only for Jerry to die. Again.

"OH FOR THE TRAVELLER'S SAKE, GINGER!"


	17. Wakeup Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alisha and Ryu are coming back to the city from an outing. Everything is fine. It's not like the Cabal are invading or anything, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Let's see how long this lasts. Destiny 2's upped sassiness with Ghosts has inspired me to continue writing.

All she had wanted to do after having worked her ass off for the Prison of Elders was to curl up in her apartment, maybe go grab a bite to eat with Cayde-6, and just frankly relax. Unfortunately, life had other plans. Instead of coming back to an almost annoyingly peaceful Tower, Alisha found instead the Tower wrecked and the city under siege by the Cabal.

"Never a dull day for us, is there," she ground out, jerking her jumpship to avoid collision with buildings or stray shots. Ryu just glanced at her, as if to say 'Really? You're joking around right now?' Other than that, he stayed silent. She could feel his fear and nervousness radiating from him, and quietly refocused on getting into the ruined Tower.

"There has to be survivors somewhere. Gear please, Ryu." The Hunter readjuested her grip on her trusty _Fatebringer_ and slung  _Patience and Time_ over her back. Letting out a nervous breath, she plunged into the depths of chaos.

* * *

Finding Cayde was a huge relief, even if he teleported out of the area almost immediately after finding her. Gritting her teeth with unspoken words of frustration, she raised her gun to take out the next batch of Cabal that stood in her way. Even more relieving was finding a group of civilians with some of the Tower Guardian staff almost immediately after. There was no time for talk, as she was ushered into the armory to exit into the hellish battleground that had once been the Plaza. Quickly spotting Zavala, Alisha started making quick work of the foes separating her from the Commander.

"Zavala! What the hell happened here?" Rushing over, she ducked behind cover to dodge the volley of shots aimed at her back. The Titan Commander looked surprised to see her, but quickly concentrated on the encroaching army.

"No time to explain. We need to hold this front until the last civilian is safe." Alisha nodded as he put up a barrier to shield them from the ship's missiles, "Sounds like a pretty good idea. Count me in."

Zavala shook his head, gesturing to the other Guardians starting to trickle into the Plaza, "We'll handle it from here. Ikora is looking for the Speaker, help her." Swallowing the habitual sarcastic comment about the Speaker, she nodded mutely and dashed in the direction of the man's tower. It was a shock to her core to find the entire structure  _gone._ Not a single wall remained from the building. "Holy shit," she muttered under her breath.

"The Speaker...no!" Ryu's voice chirped through their link, drowning in grief. While his Guardian had not really trusted the figure at the beginning of her journey, her Ghost had still held great respect for the man. Sending as much comforting feelings through their bond, she jumped away from the edge as a drop pod of ground troops came crashing down. Before she could let off a single bullet, Ikora came crashing down from seemingly the sky, decimating the group with her void bomb.

"The Speaker is gone," Ikora's voice was laced with grief and rage. The proud woman turned to the Cabal ship that flew to the edge of the ruined area, no doubt planning to gun the two Guardians in front of it down. "Red Legion, you will take no more from us. And you will find no mercy in me!" Alisha could only watch in awe and a tinge of worry as the Warlock mentor leaped onto the ship and destroyed one wing with another void bomb.

"Ikora!" Ryu cried over the comms, but she paid him no mind.

"She'll find the Speaker. We need to move on that Command ship." Zavala's authoritative voice barked over the line, "Now head to the North Tower. I'm sending Amanda Holliday to pick you up." From there, Alisha tuned out her emotions, focusing on being as efficient and quick as possible. Her Ghost was use to her behavior on a hunt and took over speaking for her. Finding Holliday, or well Holliday finding  _them_ caused the Hunter to relax a little, but not enough to start joking again.

She was coherent enough to catch Amanda saying something about "kicking them where it hurts," but to be honest, most of it went over her head if Ryu wasn't directly relaying it to her. From there everything was run, stab, shoot, and repeat until she found the heat core. After sabotaging that portion of the ship, she snapped back to focus when she caught the sheer terror and alarm her Ghost was exuding.

"Ryu, what's wrong?"

"I can't get ahold of anyone, Al-"

"Comms are probably down. They're fine. Trust them." Despite how quickly she was speaking, she still tried giving off a comforting and reassuring tone. Whether or not it worked, she didn't know, as they realized they were reaching the top of the ship. Running out into the deck, Ryu materialized himself to try to get a better signal. He needed to get his Guardian off; he needed to get Alisha to safety! He was well aware of her skills, but he had a 'gut feeling' that something wasn't right, and he had learned to trust that feeling. He caught sight of the Traveler at that moment. The Cabal were attacking the Traveler with some sort of machine.

"How do we come back from this?" He shivered to himself, instinctively nudging closer to his Guardian.

"You don't." A rough voice made his hope drop as he turned quickly to see the new arrival. "Welcome to a world without Light." The Cabal made a grand gesture towards the Traveler, sounding almost smug.

It was then the machine activated, and Ryu felt something in him vanish. The feeling left him almost sick; could Ghosts get sick?

Voice warbling, he tried to relay something,  _anything_ to his Guardian. To Alisha. "I-...Guardian, I think something is wron-" The little Ghost seemingly short circuited and dropped to the ground like a rock. Alisha wasn't fairing much better. A sudden feeling of weight, like her limbs were suddenly lead, overtook her. She dropped to her knees unceremoniously, letting out a grunt of pain. As the Cabal approached her weak form, she only had one thought.  _Protect Ryu._

She dragged his lifeless shell towards her, shielding him from the threat with her own body. Turning her head towards the thing looming menacingly over her, her lips curled in an unseen snarl.

"Don't look at me,  _creature._ " The enemy easily kicked her across his deck, her body ragdolling but refusing to let go of her Ghost.

"You are weak. Undisciplined. Cowering behind walls," She struggled to stand, her body almost constantly failing her in this state. As she flailed, the Cabal leasurely walked towards her, "You are not brave. you have merely forgotten the fear of death."

"Allow me to reacquaint you." He backhanded her, sending her body flying again all the way to the edge. As the landing took the breathe out of her, she could only watch in object horror as her Ghost's shell flew off the edge into the wreckage of the city below. She was unable to tear her eyes from the small figure sailing through the air, even when it eventually got out of sight.

"Your kind never deserved the power you were given." His footsteps were closer now to her prone body. "I am Ghaul. And your light...is mine."

With a nudge of his foot, down she went, following her beloved Ghost.

 


End file.
